Leeds Young Film Festival

About the festival

Win $350 worth of cash prizes at the Leeds Young Film Festival this year! The final deadline for submissions is Friday 7 February 2021.

Leeds Young Film Festival takes place every Easter and welcomes young people and their families to the largest film event of its kind in the north of England.

Now in its 22nd year, the festival features a programme of the best new and unseen cinema for young people from around the world, made both for and by young people, as well as classic screenings, moving-image related workshops and masterclasses. It takes place in four of the city’s most prominent venues and attracts over 14,000 young film fans and their families.

“Film needs children and young people to keep falling in love with it, and the LYFF is the perfect place for them – always smart and adventurous, never less than fun.” (Danny Leigh, The Guardian)

"The Young Film Festival at Leeds is celluloid heaven for mini-movie buffs." (Mail on Sunday)

Leeds Young Film Festival is keen on supporting independent, emerging or established, national and international filmmakers and hosts competitions for short and feature films made FOR young people.

The festival aims to show young people a world of film beyond Hollywood cinema. We offer the Audience Award for both animation and live action short films, as well as the Audience Award for feature films.

Feature Films for Children and Young People are an important part of the festival's programme. They are eligible for our prestigious Golden Wings Jury Awards, that are awarded by a jury of young people. Films have to be family friendly and suitable for young people up to the age of twelve and their families. To qualify, films may be live action or animation, fiction or documentaries but they must be at least 60 minutes long. The prize for best feature awarded by the jury will win $250USD.

Short Films for Children and Young People must be suitable for all ages. They may be live action or animation, fiction or documentaries but they must not be longer than 15 minutes. Please submit them either to the Animated Short Films category or the Live Action Short Film Category. The short film competition will be awarded by a jury of young people, and will win $100USD.

About

Win $350 worth of cash prizes at the Leeds Young Film Festival this year! The final deadline for submissions is Friday 7 February 2021.

Leeds Young Film Festival takes place every Easter and welcomes young people and their families to the largest film event of its kind in the north of England.

"The Young Film Festival at Leeds is celluloid heaven for mini-movie buffs." (Mail on Sunday)

Leeds Young Film Festival is keen on supporting independent, emerging or established, national and international filmmakers and hosts competitions for short and feature films made FOR young people.

Terms and rules

Eligibility:
* All Films must be submitted to the Film Festival by Friday 7 February 2021.
* Non-English language films must have English subtitles.
* If you have more than two films to submit, you may be entitled to fee discounts for multiple entries - please email leedsyoungfilm@gmail.com for more details.
* Only films completed after 1st January 2019 will be considered for the competitive sections.
* Any genre will be considered but films must be suitable for children, young people and families and filmmakers must specify BBFC classification or suitable audience age range at submission. See http://www.bbfc.co.uk/ for guidelines.
* Feature films must be at least 60 minutes in length. Short films for young people can be up to 15 minutes long.
* Films must not have appeared on British television, or have a UK distribution (including VoD)

By submitting your film, you agree that:
* The Film Festival can use the images from the film in Festival publications, press and media releases about the Festival and on the Festival website.
*The Film Festival does not return physical film copies that were sent for consideration.
* The Film Festival can keep the disc / file for its archive film libraries for viewing by other film festivals and organisations and for educational purposes.
* Permission has been granted and there are no outstanding copyright or licensing issues with any of the material or soundtrack in your film.

Premiere Policy:
* For feature-length films, though we do not insist on a premiere, we may not consider films that have some circulation in the UK already - for example, if they have toured other UK festivals. Please contact the Film Festival office if you would like clarification on your own film if it has already screened or is going to be screened in the UK.
* We do not require a premiere status for short films.

Ratings & Reviews

Categories and fees

International Feature Films FOR Children and Young People

Entry fees

Early Bird (16th December, 2020) €20

Regular (13th January, 2021) €30

Late (7th February, 2021) €40

Description

Submissions to this category can come from anywhere in the world, be live action or animations, fiction or documentaries. Films need to be at least 60 minutes long and suitable for children and young people up to the age of twelve and their families. Selected films will be part of the festival's programme and be eligible for our Golden Wings Jury Award which awards a cash prize, and the LYFF2020 Audience Award.

Animated Short Films for Children and Young People

Entry fees

Early Bird (16th December, 2020) €10

Regular (13th January, 2021) €15

Late (7th February, 2021) €20

Description

Submissions to this category can come from anywhere in the world, be fiction or documentaries, as long as they are animated. Films must not be longer than 15 minutes and suitable for children and young people. Selected films will be part of the festival's programme and may be eligible for our Golden Wings Jury Award which comes with a cash prize, as well as our LYFF2020 Audience Award.

Live Action Short Films for Children and Young People

Entry fees

Early Bird (16th December, 2020) €10

Regular (13th January, 2021) €15

Late (7th February, 2021) €20

Description

Submissions to this category can come from anywhere in the world, be fiction or documentaries, as long as they are live action. Films must not be longer than 15 minutes and suitable for children and young people. Selected films will be part of the festival's programme and may be eligible for our Golden Wings Jury Award which comes with a cash prize, as well as our LYFF2020 Audience Award.

VR / 360º Shorts for Children and Young People

Entry fees

Early Bird (16th December, 2020) €0

Regular (13th January, 2021) €0

Late (7th February, 2021) €0

Description

Submissions to this category can come from anywhere in the world, be any genre, live action or animation, as long as they are VR (Virtual Reality) and/or 360º. Films must not be longer than 15 minutes and suitable for children and young people.

Leeds Filmmakers - FEATURES for Children and Young People

Entry fees

Early Bird (16th December, 2020) €0

Regular (13th January, 2021) €0

Late (7th February, 2021) €0

Description

Submissions to this category must be from Leeds, UK. They can be live action or animations, fiction or documentaries. Films need to be at least 60 minutes long and suitable for children and young people up to the age of twelve and their families. Selected films will be part of the festival's programme and be eligible for our Jury Award. Entry to this category from non-Leeds filmmakers will result in immediate disqualification.

Leeds Filmmakers - SHORTS for Children and Young People

Entry fees

Early Bird (16th December, 2020) €0

Regular (13th January, 2021) €0

Late (7th February, 2021) €0

Description

Submissions to this category must be from Leeds, UK. They can be live action or animations, fiction or documentaries. Films must not be longer than 15 minutes and suitable for children and young people. Selected films will be part of the festival's programme and may be eligible for our Short Film Jury Award that comes with a cash prize. Entry to this category from non-Leeds filmmakers will result in immediate disqualification.